


Tom Potter

by limeta



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, BAMF Lily Luna Potter, Brothers, Family Fluff, Gen, Harry Potter Next Generation, Harry Potter Raises Tom Riddle, Head Auror Harry Potter, Little Sisters, Post-Second War with Voldemort, Siblings, Teenage Tom Riddle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-28
Updated: 2019-10-28
Packaged: 2021-01-05 21:36:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21215447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/limeta/pseuds/limeta
Summary: Tom Riddle travels into the far future when Harry is Head Auror. Due to complex timey-whimey things he decides to adopt him. Lily Luna Potter takes to him like bees do to coca-cola.Older Brother!TomLittle Sister!Lily LunaUnstoppable force meets immovable object





	Tom Potter

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by [DarkkBluee](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkkBluee/pseuds/DarkkBluee) in the [October_Flash_Fest_Part_Two](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/October_Flash_Fest_Part_Two) collection. 

> **Prompt:**
> 
> A young Tom Riddle wishes for a better future and lands in the lap of post-war Harry Potter.
> 
> It can be fluff, crack, or darkly obsessive take.

Tom Riddle was not a religious man, mostly because the only times he had ever encountered religion was when they tried to exorcise the evil out of him. Unfortunately for all involved, Tom Riddle was not pure evil, nor was he Satanic in nature – he was simply magic.

But when the Blitz swept him up in a flurry of Death and Even More Death he prayed. He prayed for a place where, more than anything, he could be safe.

He prayed with such ferocious need and desperation that his magic reacted to it.

And magic was, in its core, nothing more than guided intent.

* * *

Harry Potter was enjoying life. Like, really, he was having an overall ball of a time just existing. No more Dark Lords to threaten his life (the most he got was a few misguided youths playing Death Eater – because they still lived in that awkward period where everyone remembered the Wars and knew that Harry Potter had survived Death – so the potential criminals bided their time and waited until Harry went off to France to see some of his relations to wreak havoc)

He propped his feet on an ottoman he’d unearthed from the dark and unventured halls of Grimmauld Place and rested peacefully.

Ginny was away with the kids – he was supposed to go with them to Fleur and Bill’s, but duty called and he had to interrogate an absolute moron who was more of an academic gone wild than an actual threat to society.

Now he rested before finding a portkey to take him to France.

Portraits of sneering ancestors had a lot to say to Harry Potter being here, but Andromeda had spelled every portrait silent as a wedding gift to Harry and Ginny. It was rather kind of the Black turned Tonks. She’d smiled cruelly and said: ’’I’ve always wanted to shut them up.’’ And due to some magic only a member of the Black family could alter the nature of the portraits permanently.

Harry heard a loud clang from upstairs and shouted: ’’Kreacher, please, I’m trying to relax!’’

Except Kreachure appeared to be in the kitchen and came out of it to pointedly sneer: ’’Does Master Potter need new spectacles?’’ Master was spat with utmost venom. Harry touched his glasses (not gold rimmed, but he was really thinking of going through with that) and whispered a hasty apology to Kreacher.

More clanging and rustling from upstairs caused Harry to take out his wand and go upstairs.

A home invasion? Harry thought, haven’t people learned my address in all of these years?

When he reached the stairs he saw Tom Riddle fighting off a curtain that must have fallen on him. Harry aimed his wand and threatened: ’’I will shoot first and ask questions later – don’t think I won’t!’'

Tom Riddle threw the curtain off of him and panted, having exerted all of his physical strength in the simple task. He was on the thinner side than Harry remembered seeing him in the Dairy.

Completely brown eyes latched onto Harry’s green. No soul splitting had been done by this party. Harry wouldn’t lower his wand because he knew that the potential was there. ’’Explain yourself, Tom Riddle.’’

Tom Riddle leaned on the wall and said: ’’I meant no disrespected, but I seem to have travelled here by accident.’’ Looking around he took notice of silently raging portraits that mouthed obscene things. ’’If you would kindly show me to the way out I will be on my way.’’

Harry snorted, as one snorted when a mini Dark Lord told them they meant no harm: ’’As if I’ll just let you go.’’

Tom Riddle tensed only slightly. His eyes kept looking at the wand in Harry’s possession. He didn’t draw his own solely because he did not know if he could draw first spell.

’’If you will not permit me to leave, even when you are obviously angry that I am here, what will you do with me?’’ Tom Riddle said, then, as if an afterthought, ’’Sir.’’ Harry narrowed his eyes. ’’Lord?’’ The Dark Lordling corrected, presuming Harry to be a traditionalist pureblood with his titles.

Harry had to bite his lip to stop a laugh from flowing and ruining his grim-faced bad-auror facade.

’’Name’s Harry.’’ Harry gestured for Tom to come down the stairs. ’’You will explain to me everything.’’

Tom acquiesced, because in these situations, that was the only thing he could do.

After a very long and uncomfortable conversation about temporal displacement, dimensional travel, and a run-down of Lord Voldemort’s actions – Tom Riddle realised he had no idea where to go and how to exist because technically speaking he didn’t exist. A bit of an existential crisis was had that Harry rectified by a quick: ’’Well, you know – stop panicking, it’s all right – I’ll just _adopt_ you.’’

* * *

Another, more important and delicate conversation about what that would entail later and Tom Riddle decided that sure, he could do that.

_Ginny_ – Oh Ginny was not happy with this arrangement. She thought that it was logical enough, to be sure, but that them having to take him in was not the best course of action. ’’We have _children_.’’

’’Yes, and they’re very kind.’’ Harry corrected himself after a better thought, ’’most of the time. He’s got a whole soul and issues. This is his salvation.’’

’’Oh and you think we’re destined to do that?’’ Ginny raised her brows and crossed her arms and reminded Harry that Tom Riddle was only sixteen when he killed, tore his soul asunder, and made Ginny’s life hell. His being fifteen was nothing if not a promise of worse things to come.

Harry believed that if they just gave him a chance things would work out. Hermione already worked on forging him papers and making Tom Marvolo Potter a reality. Ron had looked queasy when they’d told him. Most of everyone had had reservations. Harry wouldn’t have expected things to go differently, to be perfectly frank.

* * *

But the weirdest reactions had to have come from his biological children.

James Sirus Potter had this to say when told he was going to get a sibling the same age as him: ’’Do you play quidditch because if you do I will ground you into the ground on the pitch. House rules.’’

Tom had whispered: ’’I dislike quidditch.’’

James had been appalled for 2.5 seconds before coming to terms with it and saying: ’’All right, you’re like aunt Hermione. Fair enough. Less competition for Gryffindors. What House were you back in the 40s?’’

’’Slytherin.’’

Another nod. ’’All right, like Albus. Albus, oi, you’ve another snake in your midst. Aren’t you happy?’’

Albus Severus Potter sighed deeply and said: ’’You came unexpectedly. I am not sharing my room with you.’’

James, remembering that this was a completely possible thing their parents would force them to endure exclaimed: ’’Not sharing! No! I just got this whelp out of my room and I’m not sharing with you. No offence, Tom, I figure you’re a nice enough bloke, but NEVER again!’’

Tom smiled, inhaled deeply, exhaled even more deeply. ’’Of course. Do not trouble yourself, James.’’

’’If you promise not to touch my books I’ll let you share with me.’’ A small voice said. Tom had to look down to take notice of an eleven year old, red haired girl that was called Lily Luna and only would be called Lily Luna. Tom respected the authority oozing off of this small child. They shook hands and she guided him to her room to show him around.

’’Are you tired?’’ Lily Luna asked him as she plopped on her bed and beckoned Tom to take a seat on it as well before they commenced into business talk about how their joint living arrangement was going to go.

Tom took notice that Lily Luna’s room was how he imagined rich people’s children had their rooms decorated. A small bookcase full of books stood off in the corner, above a chest of her toys that she told him he could play with if he told her in advance.

’’What do you have in there?’’ Tom asked, because it seemed like the polite thing to do. The bed was comfortable. He lay on it and watched as Lily sprinted to take out some of her toys to show him. Most of them were dolls all called Barbie. Except for this one that was a Winx doll because she liked fairies and she was definitely Stella. Tom nodded. This Stella character seemed to be the most relevant.

’’Everyone says I’m Bloom because of my red hair, but Bloom has a lot of issues and Stella knows what she wants.’’ Lily Luna gravely explained. Tom nodded equally as grave.

She handed him a Barbie that was a Doctor and told him that she could be whatever she damn well pleased. ’’It’s fun. Do you want to play House?’’

’’Sure.’’ Tom said, because he liked being on this comfortable bed, with a little girl that looked ready enough to punch anyone that bothered them. Usually that infamous eleven year old girl hostility was always aimed towards him (the orphanage was survival of the fittest) so Tom enjoyed not being on the receiving end for a change.

’’OK, so because you haven’t been here before. I have a detailed world with characters whose lines and motivations you have to know before we commence. The Barbie you have has killed this –’’ Lily Luna rummaged in her box and took out a Ken, ’’Ken who is,’’ she took out another Barbie, ’’this Barbie’s husband. Because your Barbie is in love with my Barbie and she will do everything in her power to get them together. No obstacles! They know each other from childhood and kissed when they were fifteen because boys have cooties. Is this too complicated for you?’’ Tom shook his head no. Lily Luna’s eyes sparked gleefully. ’’Good!’’

That’s how Harry found his daughter and newly adopted Dark Lord son: playing with Barbies. They dangled the toys above the open chest beneath Lily Luna’s bed and talked dramatically: ’’Those of you who have shown themselves to be true warriors on Scary Barbie Death Island will be spared – those of you who have not,’’ a pause, Lily Luna rubbed her hands together and continued darkly, ’’will know true pain!’’

Then she gathered some Barbies in her hands and threw them with all of her strength into the toy chest: ’’DEATH!’’

Tom Riddle could be heard stifling back snickers because he’d never been privy to girls playing for this long to see that they had convoluted plans and ideas, far more than just playing simple: House.

’’Lily, dear,’’ Harry gestured his daughter and told her that dinner was ready. He called Tom to come over, as well.

Lily Luna shoved Tom into a seat next to hers and exclaimed that: ’’Adopting Tom is your best idea yet. Dad, mum, I fully support your decision.’’

Tom looked at the food being served up by a House Elf and blinked because he had forgotten how food looked like. The orphanage had bare scraps.

Lily Luna leaned into Tom’s space and whispered: ’’I like your style, by the way. You’re good at playing dolls. Not many people realise it’s an art form with rules. It isn’t just dolls.’’ Tom nodded in thanks. ’’You are allowed to take my books whenever you like.’’

Tom asked her what was in her collection. He recognized none of the titles, but was assured they were all really good, especially her Wonder Woman comic books. But if he didn’t like that for some inane reason she had the Narnia books for him to read.

Ginny watched in horror as Lily Luna got along with Tom Riddle in a similar way how she had gotten along with him. Tom was open to listen, amused by lots of small things, and didn’t interrupt.

James and Albus talked about things amongst each other. Harry prodded at his potatoes and watched his wife send him mental signals:

Ginny: Our daughter is letting her guard down and he is going to corrupt her.

Harry: Ginny, when I caught Lily Luna playing dolls by herself she was even more violent than she is when she’s playing with Tom Riddle. It’s been three hours and she’s not caused anything to explode.

Ginny: Fair. Damn you, husband. You’re making some good points.

’’So Hogwarts starts in a few weeks.’’ Lily Luna clapped her hands in delight. ’’I’m going to be a First Year.’’ Turning to Tom: ’’You know me. We just played dolls for three hours, you know me better than any of my brothers. What House would you sort me in?’’

Not missing a beat: ’’Hufflepuff.’’

Confused glances from everybody around made Tom explain: ’’Hufflepuffs never reveal their hand in full.’’

Lily Luna nodded, seemingly satisfied.

Much to Lily Luna’s dismay Harry had made an extended room in Grimmauld Place to give to Tom. She walked into his room a few hours later with her comic books and told him she was sleeping with him tonight and that if he had a problem with it she would be hurt, but would ultimately understand. Tom scooted closer to the wall to give her space to crawl into.

Lily Luna showed Tom her comic books and he took them very carefully, as one would works of art. Because books were a rarity in the orphanage and Hogwarts had no picture books like this.

’’Do you like to watch movies?’’

Lily Luna was appalled when she heard that Tom had never seen a film in his life.

’’But what did you do for fun in the past?’’

Avoid being bombed to death. Avoid being carted off to a church for exorcism. Avoid being diagnosed, yet again, with schizophrenia because he could talk to snakes and children usually couldn’t do that.

’’I read.’’ Tom answered.

’’What’s your favourite book?’’

’’Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is fun.’’ Tom could relate to her because weird things happened to him growing up.

’’When we go to Aunt Hermione’s we’ll watch cartoons together.’’ Lily Luna vowed. ’’I haven’t seen Alice in Wonderland in a long time.’’

Tom Riddle and Lily Luna did not sleep much that night, mostly because she kept asking him questions that no one had bothered to ask Tom Riddle ever.

’’What’s your favourite colour? Grandma is teaching me how to knit and I’ll make you a scarf.’’

’’Purple is all right.’’ Tom Riddle answered her. His tone of speech was mild and polite. He was obviously still trying very hard to fit in properly and be as perfect as possible because Ginny sent him you-are-unwanted-and-dangerous vibes, Harry was trying to talk to him awkwardly about things and how he just had to stay on this path of normalcy, James and Albus tried interacting with him only to find out that they didn’t have many things in common – it was only Lily Luna that truly wanted to be friends with him and Tom Riddle didn’t think it would be a bad thing to cultivate a friendship. He’d never before had anyone this hilarious and authoritative to want to be friends with him.

’’I like yellow a lot.’’ Lily didn’t explain further. Sometimes someone just liked a colour because it was likable.

’’You’re getting your wand tomorrow, then.’’ Tom asked her if she was excited.

Lily Luna said: ’’Of course I am, Tom. Ugh. Tom is too short. Do you have a middle name?’’ Lily Luna liked being called Lily Luna because neither Lily was called Lily Luna nor was Luna called Lily Luna and it set her apart from these women she had to honour.

’’Marvolo.’’

’’That’s too long.’’ Lily said. ’’I’ll call you Tom Marv.’’

’’Don’t.’’ Tom Riddle whispered. ’’Please.’’

Lily Luna pouted, but after two times of hearing Tom tell her he hated it she relented and said that he needed to think of a cool nickname.

Tom told her about anagrams that night. It was the coolest thing Lily Luna had heard in a long time.

Harry found Lily Luna in Tom Riddle’s room and apologised to him on behalf of his tactless daughter: ’’She’s... difficult.’’ Tom Riddle didn’t mind that because he, too, was considered difficult.

* * *

Going out to Diagon Alley was their first ever Potter outing. Tom kept noticing differences to Diagon Alley in his time and Diagon Alley now. Things were much more... vibrant. More bookshops were open. He eyed them as they walked passed. There were so many more books that had been published in the span he had travelled. Tom’s eyes sparked to life.

They went straight to Ollivander’s for Lily Luna to get a wand.

Ollivander looked at Tom Riddle and said: ’’Hello, Mr. Riddle.’’

’’Potter, actually.’’ Tom Potter corrected before Harry had got the chance.

’’He’s my favourite brother.’’ Lily Luna said. She was what James and Albus called a ’ride or die’ when it came to making friends. ’’Now, Mr. Ollivander,’’ her lips pulled back in a smile that was scorching, ’’can we get my wand, please?’’

It didn’t take long for Lily Luna to claim an Aspen wand with Dragon Heartstring. Unyielding.

They treated her with a pick of a pet of her very own choosing.

Lily Luna asked: ’’Anything I want?’’

’’Yes, as long as it’s allowed in Hogwarts.’’ They hastily added.

She picked a calico kitten. ’’She looks like a Patches.’’

’’Lady Patches.’’ Tom greeted the kitten and it stuck. Now the kitten only answered to _Lady_ Patches

Those who recognized Tom Riddle stopped, balked, and ran away in the opposite direction.

’’That _thing_ is a Malfoy?’’ Tom wrinkled his nose in sheer disgust at seeing Draco Malfoy take Scorpius’ hand in his and bolt.

Ginny Weasley stifled a laugh.

Harry introduced Tom as his adopted son and stressed to those that wanted more information that it wasn’t his place to say and that it was rude for them to ask. Tom was grateful for that. He was grateful, more than anything, for having someone to fight for him.

Hermione Granger shook hands with Tom and bruised him just a tiny bit by how hard her grip was. ’’It’s a pleasure to meet you. I trust you will be going to Hogwarts, as well?’’

’’Of course.’’

Hermione nodded.

Tom Potter will later learn that Hermione Granger’s got the highest NEWT scores in Hogwarts’ history and he will be in awe. He will ask her so many questions and debate theory with her until Ron would have to interrupt them and tell them both to go to sleep because that was something people needed! And what were they, absolutely _mad_?!

Ginny still distanced herself and watched Tom Potter with distrust, but Lily Luna was not in danger and this she had to realise. Because Tom Potter quite enjoyed being in her presence and listening to her meandering thoughts and ludicrous ideas that reminded Ginny so much of her brothers.

Everyone expected James Sirius, named after two pranksters, to be the worst of them all- but he had taken after his grandfather and tinkered with muggle devices and learned about the world outside of their magical barriers. On his fourteenth birthday he got a film camera from his Aunt Hermione who told him that it couldn’t make moving photographs. He needled Harry into making him a dark room to develop his photographs and Harry had yielded, remembering how he had had wishes and never any adults to make those wishes reality.

James took many photographs of Tom and said: ’’You’ve got a really good face. Don’t let anyone punch you.’’

’’I shall hope not.’’ Tom still spoke out of time and James and his buddies jokingly called him ’Grandpa’ .

’’If anyone tries something you just tell me.’’ James Sirius offered friendship and brotherhood by punching Tom Riddle’s shoulder, taking photographs of him in the weirdest possible moments, and telling him he would punch people’s faces if they threatened him.

Nobody expected Albus Severus to be roughhousing type, and for the most part he wasn’t. What he liked to do was mostly court Malfoys and stay in his own lane. Albus was younger than Tom (though, wasn’t _everybody_ technically younger than him?), so he tended to offer his brotherly affection in nodding peacefully as they walked past each other and talk about video games.

Tom had been introduced to what Lily Luna called a TIME KILLER TO END ALL TIME KILLERS. Its real name was the Sims 4. It was their Uncle Ron’s favourite game.

Tom spent six hours playing it and realised that this game was too powerful.

He had enough self-control never to play it again. Because he knew that quitting while he was ahead was the only real option he had if he wanted to keep his sanity.

Lily Luna Potter was actually the one that lived up to the Marauder legacy. She was small and sneaky and loved to cause mayhem. Nothing dangerous, mind, but still unexpected. Those that thought she would be mild-tempered like Luna or studious like Lily were wrong on both accounts as Lily Luna raised up her calico kitten and exclaimed: ’’Those who do not bow to Lady Patches will be subject to extremely torturous scrutiny.’’ Growing up she was read to by Aunt Hermione and Ginny and Harry and turned into a force that liked to read and play games that not many people, in her humble opinion, knew how to keep up with.

She offered Tom something he didn’t even know he needed: a little _sister_.

One that showed him her Lego blocks and asked him to play with her – but that she had a world built with care and extreme detail only those worthy enough could embark into. Tom Potter, if ever asked, would say that he had never expected he would feel honoured to play with an eleven year old child.

* * *

Lily Luna and he _did_ watch Alice in Wonderland. Tom really liked animation.

’’Wait until you see Shrek.’’ Lily Luna said and then, after a second long pause, began to **_cackle_**. ’’Wait until you see Shrek TWO!’’

* * *

Tom learned that the way people his age talked consisted of quoting short videos and luckily for him Lily Luna knew enough about those short videos to show him plenty and educate him.

’’Road work ahead-’’ Lily Luna began on one occasion at breakfast.

And in chorus: ’’I sure hope it does,’’ came the reply from James, Tom, and Albus.

Ginny and Harry still had trouble picking up the modern slang.

* * *

During one terrible morning Harry rounded all of the boys up and told them, very awkwardly: ’’Let’s talk about the Birds and the Bees.’’

Tom opted out of that very quickly. ’’I grew up in a muggle orphanage in LONDON.’’

’’Yes, but I reckon you don’t know much about protection –’’

’’Contraceptive charms are a godsend.’’ Tom said as he inched towards the exit, ’’I know things, sir.’’ He still sometimes called Harry sir, most often he just called him Harry. He called Ginny Madame and that was their status quo. ’’Don’t worry about me. I won’t get any girls pregnant. That’s not my cup of tea as they say.’’ Then he bolted out the door.

That was when Harry realised that he had two gay sons.

Albus and Tom had conversations about their lack of attraction for women.

(’’So, you’re gay?’’

_’’Queer_.’’

’’Why not gay?’’

’’Because it sounds stupid. Happy. Look at me, I’m happy! What a pretentious arse.’’

’’But queer means weird.’’

’’Yes, whoever said they wanted to be ordinary and _boring_?’’

’’Oh.’’

’’Not to mention I don’t even like men. I don’t even like women. You can’t call someone like that gay?’’

’’No, that’s kind of asexual.’’

’’What?’’

’’Oh yeah there’s loads of terms for that. I’ve got a book.’’)

* * *

Lily Luna exclaimed on an occasion that now that she had a wand everyone better be good to her or else she was going to be taking names and kicking arses. Ginny chided her for her language and then – then – horror struck when Lily Luna said a string of rhyming curses and swear words that only a lad from 1940s London could have ever known.

Tom Potter spent a night at Aunt Hermione’s who laughed at odd intervals and said: ’’She really said that? Little Lily Luna?’’ More laughter. ’’Ginny must be furious!’’

* * *

Summer ended. As summers did.

Tom Potter knew a lot more than he did when he started the summer trying to avoid dying in a bombing.

The Potters and the Weasleys reserved a compartment for themselves and bought out the Trolley.

They ate bonbons and when Lily Luna took one her eyes turned to slits like that of a cat. James Sirius roared like a lion. Albus Severus had smoke coming out of his nose. Tom Potter popped one in and for the next minute could only speak in rhymes. Rose laughed and picked one that had her skin prickle with scales.

When the time for sorting came Lily Luna Potter ended up in Hufflepuff and Tom Potter went to Slytherin as was expected by everyone. They high fived at the end of the feast when they saw each other.

’’Show me where the secret passageways are, won’t you?’’

’’Get me into the Hufflepuff Common Room and you’ve got a deal.’’

Brother and sister shook hands on that. The deal was set.


End file.
